Saturday, 12 November 2011

Trust Me on This One: Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, first things first, I need to acknowledge the elephant in the room: these pics. They're not so good...and there aren't very many of them. This post is unlikely to get past the guards at Foodgawker, or be pinned on Pinterest, or be bookmarked solely for the beauty of the photos. For that reason, I've been putting off writing this post. But then, on a long and awkward train journey to Edinburgh, I ate the last of these cookies, and I decided I couldn't let the photos hold me back anymore – the world needs to know about these chewy gems.

I'm not even kidding. These cookies are that good. They can make a squished train ride bearable, a cold day feel nostalgically wintry, and a loved one forgive a stress-related slight. They're magic, and they're so easy.

These cookies are really just oatmeal raisin cookies, with dried blueberries swapped for the raisins and the cinnamon doubled for a spicy kick. It's really quite amazing what a dried fruit change-up will do to your cookies – I'd so far only done it with cherries, and we all know how delicious that was, and this time was no less of a success. I might even have to move on from berries to chopped up dried mango or apricots... the possibilities are endless!

For now, though, just start with these cookies. You'll be glad you did.

Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies

adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line baking sheets with parchment.

In a large bowl, beat together:

1 c (225g) butter, soft

1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 c brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

Whisk together, then add to butter mixture:

1 3/4 c flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

Stir in:

1 c dried blueberries

3 1/2 c oats

Shape the dough into 1.5" balls and place 2" apart on baking sheets, then flatten/smush them a bit. Bake, one sheet at a time, until golden, 12-14 minutes. Cool on a rack.